Weekly Features Just For The Sport Of It

Spring is in full swing (didn’t mean to rhyme there) and that puts me in the mood for outdoor sports, or sports in general. So, today’s weekly features have that kind of flare. Our top five this week is sports video games, because what better way to fulfill that urge to get outside and involved in physical activity than to sit inside and play video games.

There have been an awful lot of great sports video games over the years, so I have to mention some of the omissions. Tiger Woods (philanderer or not) Golf for the Wii is awesome, but didn’t make it. Blades of Steel on the NES was unbelievable if for no other reason than it was the first hockey game to my knowledge that involved fights, but other titles overtook it. Who was not wowed by the halftime show of Double Dribble for the NES? Alas, space ran thin. There is not a single MLB game on the list despite the many titles I’ve enjoyed. Despite these regrets, my list appears below sans these worthy titles and I’m sticking with it:

5. NBA Jam – What I have in mind here is the arcade, cabinet version of this game. The high flying dunks, the flaming basketball, the oversized heads. Awesome.

4. Madden ’10 – The Madden franchise has revolutionized video football. This installment being the most recent, I find it the most engaging and realistic even though another football game gets my emotional nod for the top spot.

3. Wii Sports – The boxing game alone on here is worth inclusion on this list

2. Mike Tyson’s Punch Out (NES) – Nothing need be said here

1. Tecmo Bowl (NES) – For as revolutionary as the Madden franchise of football games has been, Tecmo Bowl is a classic, including the soundtrack

This week’s cool-ass thing you’ll never own is a golf course. You may be able to own your own miniature golf course, but a full 18-hole real golf course, no. I would personally love to own one because I love golfing and would do it more often if it weren’t for other golfers. The pressure of proper golf etiquette is too much for me. If I could be alone on several acres of picturesque green with a sleeve of balls and my clubs, I’d be a happy man. Okay, add a few buddies and some beer, then we’re good.

This week’s sign you are a nerd is that you still remember cheat codes from games that are well over ten years old. By this, I don’t just mean the sequence of up, down, up, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, B, A, start. I mean you remember the sequence, which game it belongs to and what cheat it gives you even though you haven’t played that game in fifteen years.

This week’s nemesis is my NCAA tournament bracket selections. I picked a few upsets successfully, even had Cornell winning a few games, but I’ve blown all kinds of other picks. The most maddening part of it is that most of these picks are ones I talked myself out of.

This week’s lesson learned is that once a toothbrush falls in a toilet, it’s gone. However, you still need to fish it out. Flushing it will only make things worse.

And finally, this week’s Star Wars quote is Han Solo’s developing appraisal of Princess Leia. “Wonderful girl. Either I’m going to kill her or I’m beginning to like her.”

That’s all for this week. For those of you who did read this, my enduring thanks. Regular posts resume tomorrow.